Get Involved: Champion & Work with NETRI
SAFE POLITICS CHAMPION
Context of the Campaign
Violence against women in politics is a rampant phenomenon in India due to which women’s political participation, rights, processes, and policy outcomes suffer from the under-representation. And with the high court ruling that Political Parties Are Not Required to Have an Internal Complaint Committee under the Prevention of Sexual Harassment at Workplace Act, how unsafe does politics become for women?
In the current Indian legal framework, the Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressed) Act of 2013, commonly referred to as the PoSH Act 2013, does provide measures to curb sexual harassment in the workplace. However, due to the absence of an employer-employee relationship among their members, political parties and organizations might not be compliant with the law. This creates a dilemma in the mind of women who consider politics to be men’s territory since there is no strong legal support available to them.
Honorable Minister of Women and Child Development, Madam Maneka Gandhi urged all political parties to immediately form sexual harassment committee in 2018 but even after four years, the reality on the ground is bleak. Political parties have turned deaf ear to the safety of women in politics. They either don’t have an ICC or they have it only for certain positions. This has raised questions about the safety of women who have political aspirations and who long to walk the uphill path of obstacles to hold positions of power. Women leaders in politics opine that it is high time for parties to wake up to the reasons behind the dwindling representation of women in political life as the implementation of the law has fallen on deaf ears for over a decade now.
Reflecting upon the situation with respect to the implementation of POSH, NETRI Foundation conducted a short study in 2022 to delve deep into the understanding of questions and opinions of the people about politics. From the analysis of the study, it was startling to note that 70% of the women did not consider politics to be a safe space for women.
Hence, as a women’s political incubator and aggregator we find it imperative to take steps toward making politics a safe place for women, hence, giving way to the project – SAFE POLITICS FOR WOMEN.
What is Safe Politics for Women?
Safe Politics for Women is a research and advocacy project, which aims at addressing gender-based violence in political/public spheres with an aim to make politics safe for women through a regulatory mandate/legislation that makes political parties PoSH compliant by creating a public discourse through evidence-based research on the implementation of PoSH and its impact on women’s participation. The project aims at organizing 20 gender-based violence champions who wish to make Politics a safer space for women.
Who will be the champions?
We are looking forward to creating champions for a cause. The following people can become champions for the cause:
- Law students
- Lawyers
- PoSH expert
- Journalist
- Women in Politics
- Anyone passionate about Women’s rights and POSH study
What will the champions get from the engagement?
The champions will be given extensive training on POSH, community building, networking, and social media building along with conducting a survey on the ground & methodology. They will gauge a wider understanding of the implementation of POSH on the ground and become instrumental in connecting dots, and sensitizing others about the importance of making politics a safer space for women.
What will the champions do?
The Champions will:
- Conduct Evidence-based guided Surveys on the ground
- Curate conversations on the importance of Safety for women in politics.
How to apply to become a Champion?
People interested in becoming a CHAMPION, can be a part of the campaign by filling up this Google form – https://forms.gle/hpLhEdVFLnw38zU78
Engagement Structure:
The shall comprise of the following three important component features:
- Orientation
- Training on the survey tool
- Survey on the ground in their local areas
Schedule Plan
Orientation | Day 1 online (Saturday) – Oct 2022 |
|---|---|
Training – Virtual – PoSH act – Community building -Petition – Social media networking -Research Methodology -On-ground survey techniques | 2 weeks, each Saturday for 2 hours (Oct 2022) |
Survey on ground | Each champion will get schedule as per his or her timeline. Each champion will conduct a survey for 100 respondents on the ground- a timeline of 3 months to a maximum of 5 months. |
Research presentation & Report publication by NETRI | The work will be handed over to NETRI team for analysis- can volunteer to be a part of this- NOT MANDATORY |
For reading –
Politics: A Workplace within POSH – ISPP Policy Review
Hiring for Fundraising & Comms Manager
About NETRI Foundation
At NETRI we commit ourselves to the constitutional values of politics to achieve-
Equality, Social Justice and Dignity for all.
NETRI is India’s first incubator and aggregator for women in politics. We deliver programs that equip women to run for elections, become political professionals or political entrepreneurs, thereby increasing women’s participation in decision-making.
Why NETRI?
We are a young organization bustling with energy and raring to grow. NETRI has been awarded grants from highly reputed institutions such as IIM Bangalore-NSRCEL, The/Nudge Foundation, and an esteemed private sector organization. We are also mentored by an experienced team of highly experienced professionals at the Ujwal Impact Advisors. These reinforce our faith in our idea, and you can directly contribute towards shaping the future of the organization. At the heart of it, we endeavor to build our team’s career in public policy. So, what’s in it for you?
- Operationalize your ideas: Freedom to convert an array of ideas into impactful programs for women in politics.
- Impact at scale: The programs you conceptualize and implement will have the potential to impact hundreds of aspiring women in politics directly, and millions of people indirectly. NETRI offers you the platform for meaningful and impactful work.
- Steep learning curve & Networking: The breadth of interactions coupled with networking opportunities with a wide variety of stakeholders in the politics/policy space will be humongous and enriching at the same time.
- Competitive remuneration: We recognize the need for our talented team to be paid well. We will offer you a competitive salary in the not-for-profit sector
What exactly do we do & How?
We work with women to achieve their political potential in various ways. At the heart of it lies in enabling progressive gender-inclusive spaces where women become the central decision makers.
Working on the principles of Ikigai, to achieve women’s political potential, we run 2 short-term Flagship Programs currently:
- Pathways to Politics: 4-week-digital training program designed for women exploring the pathways to enter politics and excel through competence and skills. The program focuses on hard skills and ecosystem understanding.
- Samaanta Ambassadors Program: India’s first training of trainer’s program for women political trainers. A 6-week online/hybrid learning experience for women aspiring to become professional trainers in the field of politics and want to nurture future women political leaders.
We are developing our incubator, and capacity building programs are central to it. The experience for the participants must be designed to optimize their road to a political career.
Fundraising Manager- Job Description
Who are we looking for?
We are looking for someone who has the passion of a social entrepreneur, storytelling abilities of a children’s book writer, and vision of an unicorn. If you fit this description, read on.
Qualifications & Skills
If you are reading this, and already feel the urge to be part of our team, we can sense your motivation.
We are looking for someone with the following skill sets-
- Communication skills. Impeccable communication skills are mandatory to be clear and persuasive.
- Detail oriented: You need to be detail oriented as you will deal with large volume of data and good observation will help with maintaining compliances and following regulations.
- Leadership. Managing teams of volunteers will be a part of your job and you must be able to lead them and keep them motivated.
- Organizational skills. Managing large campaigns and events will require planning and organizational skills to succeed.
That said, a few other specific skills that would be good to have include:
- Bachelors/Masters – Educational background can be diverse, but a solid understanding of law, accounting, not-for-profit businesses will go a long way.
- 2-3+ years of professional work experience in any of these fields – Fundraising, managing budgets, CSR & Donor organizations,
- Diverse network of potential donor organizations, CSR funders, Philanthropists will be critical for this role.
- Excellent written & oral communication in English & Hindi.
- Ability to imbibe political perspectives and be self-aware of personal political positions in any challenging context while presenting NETRI.
- Ability to work across functions and co-ordinate with multiple teams.
- Street-smart agility to transition into roles and ability to manage people.
Core Responsibilities
One of the biggest perks of this role is that you will be building a unique organization and work on its sustainability. Working closely with the Founder & Advisors will widen your horizons and test your creativity in building India’s first political incubator for women. Your core responsibilities will include:
- Research prospective donors
- Create a smart fundraising strategy and working on its execution
- Create a strong fundraising message that appeals to potential donors
- Identify and contact potential donors
- Use online platforms to raise donations
- Organize campaigns or events to solicit donations
- Maintain records of donor information
- Evaluate the success of previous fundraising events
- Train volunteers in fundraising procedures and practices
- Ensure that all legal reporting requirements are satisfied
- Knowledgeable about campaign finance laws, FCRAs, tax exemptions.
- Knowledge about different types of fundraising- annual campaigns, capital campaigns, retail fundraising, and year-on-year fundraising for kickstarting the role.
Role will be remote at this point; however, program priorities may dictate if relocation is required.
How to Apply?
If you’ve decided to take the leap of faith to work with us: As a first step, we request you to do the following:
- Share your latest 1-page CV with us, and
- Record a video under 1.30 minute. The prompt: “Pitch NETRI Foundation to a funder of your choice in under 1.30 minutes”. Upload this video on youtube under unpublished section and share the link in the application form.
What to expect after applying?
- Based on your CV and Letter of Motivation, there will be further rounds in the interview process designed to understand your thought process. These may include writing assignments, presentations, face-to-face interviews.
- You may expect to hear from us within a week from the date you applied.
- The interview process can be expected to last for nearly 3-4 weeks.
- In case you are made an offer, you will have 2 days to accept it in writing, failing which the offer will stand withdrawn.
Lastly, do give us a thumbs up on Facebook, follow us on Twitter, and share your thoughts on any of these platforms on how we can grow as an organization!
